Abstract
This paper presents a novel soft tissue elasticity measurement technique based on the fusion of Magnetic, Angular Rate, and Gravity (MARG) sensors and fixed tactile sensors. This paper is intended both as a stand-alone technology and as an extension of traditional tactile imaging of the breast to allow for accurate diagnosis of breast lesions. A series of artificial silicone materials known to imitate soft biological breast tissues is characterized using the proposed system and compared against an Instron universal testing machine to determine the system accuracy and repeatability. Comparing the characteristics of ten distinct materials, with elasticities in the range 9-90 kPa, determined by the proposed system to those from the Instron yields accuracy within 4% over the full-scale range. Interexperimental repeatability is within 1.5%. The proposed system delivers absolute elasticity of materials to within 4%, which, when combined with its lack of moving parts and low implementation cost, can significantly improve the diagnostic capability of tactile imaging in the clinical environment. By applying this technique, to determine the background elasticity of breast tissue, in conjunction with the relative lesion elasticity result from tactile arrays, the full non-invasive diagnostic potential of tactile imaging can be realized with the effect of reducing benign biopsy rates, secondary care costs, and patient stress.
Highlights
THE link between the elasticity, or stiffness, of a breast lesion is well known to be correlated to histological diagnosis [1] [2] [3]
The most common method of detecting breast lesions is the clinical breast exam (CBE) but, as pe o ple are unable to quantify the elasticity of a suspected lesion, this normally requires a secondary care referral for a mammogram
More traditional methods of measuring elasticity using mechanically driven palpating elements [14] show more promise in terms of public acceptance the limitation of the 4x4 mobile tactile element array reduces the available spatial resolution compared with the fixed element implementation [8] with a 12x16 fixed element array in a similar area. This means that though an absolute elasticity value is obtained, size and shape information is lost which are each important diagnostic metrics [15]. With these issues in mind, this paper proposes a method of measuring tissue compression, without cameras or palpation guide rails, that can be applied to fixed element tactile arrays, characterising elasticity whilst maintaining the spatial resolution they enjoy
Summary
THE link between the elasticity, or stiffness, of a breast lesion is well known to be correlated to histological diagnosis [1] [2] [3]. The most common method of detecting breast lesions is the clinical breast exam (CBE) but, as pe o ple are unable to quantify the elasticity of a suspected lesion, this normally requires a secondary care referral for a mammogram. With over 1 million biopsies performed each year in the United States costing on average between $290 and $380 each [4], and 80% resulting in benign diagnosis [5] [6], it is clear that this presents an unacceptable and unnecessary burden on the secondary care system
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